by Inman Hebert
Greetings to all horn players, and happy 2025! As I pondered my New Year’s resolutions, making a horn-specific list struck me. Looking back at famous quotations that inspire me, I came up with a few key ideas that should make any horn student’s New Year’s list.
First and foremost, as horn students, we resolve to practice and commit to our instruments. Through the whirlwind of college and personal life, we can never lose sight of our desires to improve. We must commit to consistent, dedicated work on the instrument to achieve our goals. As the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, “Your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”
The ability to block out the distractions of everyday life and concentrate on the instrument underlies our resolve to succeed. American author Kurt Vonnegut once claimed, “The secret to success in any human endeavor is total concentration.” When we play the horn, we must be reminded to block out the outside world and give the instrument the full mental attention it necessitates.
In our ongoing quests to improve on the horn, moments of doubt, or even failure, will undoubtedly occur. Instead of being discouraged, we can ameliorate these occasions and use them as learning experiences. As the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu avowed, “Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved.” Our response to adversity can propel us to the improvement we seek.
The manner in which we approach and maintain our goals in 2025 can determine the success and productivity of the year. I encourage all students to consider their commitment to practice, their focus, and their approach to failure to help them navigate the new year.
